Tracking device power preservation through signal strength reduction

ABSTRACT

The power consumption of a tracking device can be reduced by managing the transmission power of the tracking device when a mobile device is at the edge of the range of the tracking device. A connection can be established between a tracking device and a mobile device at the edge of a first range of the tracking device. The transmission range of the tracking device can be reduced to sever the connection between the tracking device and the mobile device. After a pre-determined time interval or after a connection with the mobile device is re-established the transmission range of the tracking device can be restored.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/226,137, filed Aug. 2, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,615,371, which isincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to tracking devices, and morespecifically, to power preservation in a tracking device throughselectively reducing the transmission power of the tracking device.

Electronic tracking devices have created numerous ways for people totrack the locations of people and/or objects. For example, a user canuse GPS technology to track a device remotely or determine a location ofthe user. In another example, a user can attach a tracking device to animportant object, such as keys or a wallet, and use the features of thetracking device to more quickly locate the object, (e.g., if it becomeslost).

However, traditional tracking devices and corresponding systems sufferfrom one or more disadvantages. For instance, a battery of the trackingdevice may be difficult to recharge or replace, thus limiting thelifespan of the tracking device to the length of time the battery canpower the tracking device. Accordingly, there is a need to improveperformance in order to reduce the power requirements of the trackingdevice, thereby extending the amount of time the battery can power thetracking device, and thus extending the lifespan of the tracking deviceitself.

SUMMARY

A tracking device can wirelessly connect to mobile devices at variousranges. However, under certain circumstances, environmental conditionsor other factors can result in the tracking device consuming additionaltransmissive power. As tracking devices can have limited batterycapacity, power preservation methods can be employed to reduce the powerconsumption of the tracking device. In situations where a trackingdevice is repeatedly connecting and reconnecting to the same mobiledevice (for instance, at the periphery of the transmission range of thetracking device), the transmission power of the tracking device can betemporarily reduced to prevent excess power consumption related torepeated connection and reconnection to the same mobile device. Thetransmission power of the tracking device can later be restored based onone or more of a set of factors being satisfied.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example tracking system environment in which atracking device can operate, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example tracking system for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user mobile device for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example community mobile device for use in atracking system environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example tracking device for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates an environment for connecting to a tracking device,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process for managing a trackingdevice in an edge of range state, according to one embodiment

The figures depict various embodiments of the present invention forpurposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readilyrecognize from the following discussion that alternative embodiments ofthe structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed withoutdeparting from the principles of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Environment Overview

Embodiments described herein detail functionality associated with atracking device. A user can attach a tracking device to or enclose thetracking device within an object, such as a wallet, keys, a car, a bike,a pet, or any other object that the user wants to track. The user canthen use a mobile device (e.g., by way of a software applicationinstalled on the mobile device) or other device or service to track thetracking device and corresponding object. For example, the mobile devicecan perform a local search for a tracking device attached to a near-byobject. However, in situations where the user is unable to locate thetracking device using their own mobile device (e.g., if the trackingdevice is beyond a distance within which the mobile device and thetracking device can communicate), the user can leverage the capabilitiesof a community of users of a tracking device system.

In particular, a tracking system (also referred to herein as a “cloudserver” or simply “server”) can maintain user profiles associated with aplurality of users of the tracking device system. The tracking systemcan associate each user within the system with one or more trackingdevices associated the user (e.g., tracking devices that the user haspurchased and is using to track objects owned by the user). If theuser's object becomes lost or stolen, the user can send an indicationthat the tracking device is lost to the tracking system, which is incommunication with one or more mobile devices associated with thecommunity of users in communication with the system. The tracking systemcan set a flag indicating the tracking device is lost. When one of acommunity of mobile devices that are scanning for nearby trackingdevices and providing updated locations to the tracking systemidentifies a flagged tracking device, the tracking system can associatethe received location with the flagged tracking device, and relay thelocation to a user of the tracking device, thereby enabling the user tolocate the lost tracking device.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example tracking system environment in which atracking device can operate, according to one embodiment. Theenvironment of FIG. 1 includes a tracking system 100 communicativelycoupled to a mobile device 102 associated with the user 103 via a firstnetwork 108. The tracking system 100 is also communicatively coupled toa plurality of community mobile devices 104 a through 104 n(collectively referred to herein as “community mobile devices 104”)associated with a plurality of users 105 a through 105 n of the trackingsystem 100 (collectively referred to herein as “community users 105”)via the first network 108. As will be explained in more detail below,the tracking system 100 can allow the user 103 to manage and/or locate atracking device 106 associated with the user 103. In some embodiments,the tracking system 100 leverages the capabilities of community mobiledevices 104 to locate the tracking device 106 if the location of thetracking device is unknown to the user 103 and beyond the capabilitiesof mobile device 102 to track. In some configurations, the user 103 mayown and register multiple tracking devices 106. Although FIG. 1illustrates a particular arrangement of the tracking system 100, mobiledevice 102, community mobile devices 104, and tracking device 106,various additional arrangements are possible.

In some configurations, the user 103 may be part of the community ofusers 105. Further, one or more users 105 may own and register one ormore tracking devices 106. Thus, any one of the users within thecommunity of users 105 can communicate with tracking system 100 andleverage the capabilities of the community of users 105 in addition tothe user 103 to locate a tracking device 106 that has been lost.

The tracking system 100, mobile device 102, and plurality of communitymobile devices 104 may communicate using any communication platforms andtechnologies suitable for transporting data and/or communicationsignals, including known communication technologies, devices, media, andprotocols supportive of remote data communications.

In certain embodiments, the tracking system 100, mobile device 102, andcommunity mobile devices 104 may communicate via a network 108, whichmay include one or more networks, including, but not limited to,wireless networks (e.g., wireless communication networks), mobiletelephone networks (e.g., cellular telephone networks), closedcommunication networks, open communication networks, satellite networks,navigation networks, broadband networks, narrowband networks, theInternet, local area networks, and any other networks capable ofcarrying data and/or communications signals between the tracking system100, mobile device 102, and community mobile devices 104. The mobiledevice 102 and community of mobile devices 104 may also be incommunication with a tracking device 106 via a second network 110. Thesecond network 110 may be a similar or different type of network as thefirst network 108. In some embodiments, the second network 110 comprisesa wireless network with a limited communication range, such as aBluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless network. In someconfigurations, the second network 110 is a point-to-point networkincluding the tracking device 106 and one or more mobile devices thatfall within a proximity of the tracking device 106. In such embodiments,the mobile device 102 and community mobile devices 104 may only be ableto communicate with the tracking device 106 if they are within a closeproximity to the tracking device, though in other embodiments, thetracking device can use long-distance communication functionality (forinstance, a GSM transceiver) to communicate with either a mobile device102/104 or the tracking system 100 at any distance. In someconfigurations, the mobile device 102 and one or more community mobiledevices 104 may each be associated with multiple tracking devicesassociated with various users.

As mentioned above, FIG. 1 illustrates the mobile device 102 associatedwith the user 103. The mobile device 102 can be configured to performone or more functions described herein with respect to locating trackingdevices (e.g., tracking device 106). For example, the mobile device 102can receive input from the user 103 representative of information aboutthe user 103 and information about a tracking device 106. The mobiledevice 102 may then provide the received user information, trackingdevice information, and/or information about the mobile device 102 tothe tracking system 100. Accordingly, the tracking system 100 is able toassociate the mobile device 102, the user 103, and/or the trackingdevice 106 with one another. In some embodiments, the mobile device 102can communicate with the tracking device 106 and provide informationregarding the location of the tracking device to the user 103. Forexample, the mobile device 102 can detect a communication signal fromthe tracking device 106 (e.g., by way of second network 110) as well asa strength of the communication signal or other measure of proximity todetermine an approximate distance between the mobile device 102 and thetracking device 106. The mobile device 102 can then provide thisinformation to the user 103 (e.g., by way of one or more graphical userinterfaces) to assist the user 103 to locate the tracking device 106.Accordingly, the user 103 can use the mobile device 102 to track andlocate the tracking device 106 and a corresponding object associatedwith the tracking device 106. If the mobile device 102 is located beyondthe immediate range of communication with the tracking device 106 (e.g.,beyond the second network 110), the mobile device 102 can be configuredto send an indication that a tracking device 106 is lost to the trackingsystem 100, requesting assistance in finding the tracking device. Themobile device 102 can send an indication of a lost device in response toa command from the user 103. For example, once the user 103 hasdetermined that the tracking device 106 is lost, the user can provideuser input to the mobile device 102 (e.g., by way of a graphical userinterface), requesting that the mobile device 102 send an indicationthat the tracking device 106 is lost to the tracking system 100. In someexamples, the lost indication can include information identifying theuser 103 (e.g., name, username, authentication information), informationassociated with the mobile device 102 (e.g., a mobile phone number),information associated with the tracking device (e.g., a unique trackingdevice identifier), or a location of the user (e.g., a GPS location ofthe mobile device 102 at the time the request is sent).

The tracking system 100 can be configured to provide a number offeatures and services associated with the tracking and management of aplurality of tracking devices and/or users associated with the trackingdevices. For example, the tracking system 100 can manage informationand/or user profiles associated with user 103 and community users 105.In particular, the tracking system 100 can manage information associatedwith the tracking device 106 and/or other tracking devices associatedwith the user 103 and/or the community users 105.

As mentioned above, the tracking system 100 can receive an indicationthat the tracking device 106 is lost from the mobile device 102. Thetracking system 100 can then process the indication in order to help theuser 103 find the tracking device 106. For example, the tracking system100 can leverage the capabilities of the community mobile devices 104 tohelp find the tracking device 106. In particular, the tracking system100 may set a flag for a tracking device 106 to indicate that thetracking device 106 lost and monitor communications received from thecommunity mobile devices 104 indicating the location of one or moretracking devices 106 within proximity of the community mobile devices104. The tracking system 100 can determine whether a specific locationis associated with the lost tracking device 106 and provide any locationupdates associated with the tracking device 106 to the mobile device102. In one example, the tracking system may receive constant updates oftracking device 106 locations regardless of whether a tracking device106 is lost and provide a most recent updated location of the trackingdevice 106 in response to receiving an indication that the trackingdevice 106 is lost.

In some configurations, the tracking system 100 can send a locationrequest associated with the tracking device 106 to each of the communitymobile devices 104. The location request can include any instructionsand/or information necessary for the community mobile devices 106 tofind the tracking device 102. For example, the location request caninclude a unique identifier associated with the tracking device 106 thatcan be used by the community mobile devices 104 to identify the trackingdevice 106. Accordingly, if one of the community mobile devices 104detects a communication from the tracking device 106 (e.g., if thecommunity mobile device 104 is within range or moves within range of thecommunication capabilities of the tracking device 106 and receives asignal from the tracking device 106 including or associated with theunique identifier associated with the tracking device 106), thecommunity mobile device 104 can inform the tracking system 100. Usingthe information received from the community mobile devices 104, thetracking system 100 can inform the user (e.g., by way of the mobiledevice 102) of a potential location of the tracking device 106.

As shown in FIG. 1 and as mentioned above, the tracking system 100 cancommunicate with a plurality of community mobile devices 104 associatedwith corresponding community users 105. For example, an implementationmay include a first community mobile device 104 a associated with afirst community user 105 a, a second community mobile device 104 bassociated with a second community user 105 b, and additionalcommunication mobile devices associated with additional community usersup to an nth community mobile device 104 n associated with an nthcommunity user 105 n. The community mobile devices 104 may also includefunctionality that enables each community mobile device 104 to identifya tracking device 106 within a proximity of the community mobile device104. In one example, a first community mobile device 104 a withinproximity of a tracking device 106 can communicate with the trackingdevice 106, identify the tracking device 106 (e.g., using a uniqueidentifier associated with the tracking device 106), and/or detect alocation associated with the tracking device 106 (e.g., a location ofthe first mobile community device 104 a at the time of the communicationwith the tracking device 106). This information can be used to provideupdated locations and/or respond to a location request from the trackingsystem 100 regarding the tracking device 106. In some embodiments, thesteps performed by the first community mobile device 104 a can be hiddenfrom the first community user 105 a. Accordingly, the first communitymobile device 104 a can assist in locating the tracking device 106without bother and without the knowledge of the first community user 105a.

As mentioned above, the tracking system 100 can assist a user 103 inlocating a tracking device 106. The tracking device may be a chip, tile,tag, or other device for housing circuitry and that may be attached toor enclosed within an object such as a wallet, keys, purse, car, orother object that the user 103 may track. Additionally, the trackingdevice 106 may include a speaker for emitting a sound and/or atransmitter for broadcasting a beacon. In one configuration, thetracking device 106 may periodically transmit a beacon signal that maybe detected using a nearby mobile device 102 and/or community mobiledevice 104. In some configurations, the tracking device 106 broadcasts abeacon at regular intervals (e.g., one second intervals) that may bedetected from a nearby mobile device (e.g., community mobile device104). The strength of the signal emitted from the tracking device 106may be used to determine a degree of proximity to the mobile device 102or community mobile device 104 that detects the signal. For example, ahigher strength signal would indicate a close proximity between thetracking device 106 and the mobile device 102 and a lower strengthsignal would indicate a more remote proximity between the trackingdevice 106 and the mobile device 102, though in some embodiments, thetracking device 106 can intentionally vary the transmission strength ofthe beacon signal. In some cases, the strength of signal or absence of asignal may be used to indicate that a tracking device 106 is lost.

System Overview

FIG. 2 illustrates an example tracking system for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment. As shown, the trackingsystem 100 may include, but is not limited to, an association manager204, a tracking device location manager 206, and a data manager 208,each of which may be in communication with one another using anysuitable communication technologies. It will be recognized that althoughmanagers 204-208 are shown to be separate in FIG. 2, any of the managers204-208 may be combined into fewer managers, such as into a singlemanager, or divided into more managers as may serve a particularembodiment.

The association manager 204 may be configured to receive, transmit,obtain, and/or update information about a user 103 and/or informationabout one or more specific tracking devices (e.g., tracking device 106).In some configurations, the association manager 204 may associateinformation associated with a user 103 with information associated witha tracking device 106. For example, user information and trackinginformation may be obtained by way of a mobile device 102, and theassociation manager 204 may be used to link the user information andtracking information. The association between user 103 and trackingdevice 106 may be used for authentication purposes, or for storing userinformation, tracking device information, permissions, or otherinformation about a user 103 and/or tracking device 106 in a database.

The tracking system 100 also includes a tracking device location manager206. The tracking device location manager 206 may receive and process anindication that the tracking device 106 is lost from a mobile device(e.g., mobile device 102 or community mobile devices 104). For example,the tracking system 100 may receive a lost indication from a mobiledevice 102 indicating that the tracking device 106 is lost. The trackingdevice location manager 206 may set a flag on a database (e.g., trackerdatabase 212) indicating that the tracking device 106 is lost. Thetracking device location manager 206 may also query a database todetermine tracking information corresponding to the associated user 103and/or tracking device 106. The tracking system 100 may obtain trackingdevice information and provide the tracking device information or otherinformation associated with the tracking device 106 to a plurality ofcommunity mobile devices 104 to be on alert for the lost or unavailabletracking device 106.

The tracking device location manager 206 may also receive a locationfrom one or more community mobile devices 104 that detect the trackingdevice 106, for instance in response to the community mobile devicereceiving a beacon signal transmitted by the tracking device 106,without the tracking device 106 having been previously marked as lost.In such embodiments, a user corresponding to the mobile device 102 canrequest a most recent location associated with the tracking device fromthe tracking system 100, and the location manager 206 can provide thelocation received from the community mobile device for display by themobile device 102. In some embodiments, the location manager 206provides the location of the tracking device 106 received from acommunity mobile device either automatically (for instance if thetracking device 106 is marked as lost) or at the request of a user ofthe mobile device 102 (for instance, via an application on the mobiledevice 102). The location manager 206 can provide a location of atracking device 106 to a mobile device 102 via a text message, pushnotification, application notification, automated voice message, or anyother suitable form of communication.

The tracking device location manager 206 may further manage providingindications about whether a tracking device 106 is lost or not lost. Forexample, as discussed above, the tracking device location manager 206may provide a location request to the community of mobile devices 104indicating that a tracking device 106 is lost. Additionally, uponlocation of the tracking device 106 by the user 103 or by one of thecommunity of users 105, the tracking device location manager 206 mayprovide an indication to the user 103, community user 105, or trackingsystem 100 that the tracking device 106 has been found, thus removingany flags associated with a tracking device and/or canceling anylocation request previously provided to the community of users 105. Forexample, where a user 103 sends an indication that the tracking device106 is lost to the tracking system 100 and later finds the trackingdevice 106, the mobile device 102 may provide an indication to thetracking system 100 that the tracking device 106 has been found. Inresponse, the tracking device location manager 206 may remove a flagindicating that the tracking device 106 is lost and/or provide anupdated indication to the community of users 105 that the trackingdevice 106 has been found, thus canceling any instructions associatedwith the previously provided location request. In some configurations,the notification that the tracking device 106 has been found may beprovided automatically upon the mobile device 102 detecting the trackingdevice 106 within a proximity of the mobile device 102. Alternatively,the notification that the tracking device 106 has been found may beprovided by the user 103 via user input on the mobile device 102. Inanother example, a known user (e.g., a friend or family member) withwhom the tracking device 106 has been shared may provide an indicationthat the tracking device 106 has been found.

The tracking system 100 additionally includes a data manager 208. Thedata manager 208 may store and manage information associated with users,mobile devices, tracking devices, permissions, location requests, andother data that may be stored and/or maintained in a database related toperforming location services of tracking devices. As shown, the datamanager 208 may include, but is not limited to, a user database 210, atracker database 212, permissions data 214, and location request data216. It will be recognized that although databases and data within thedata manager 208 are shown to be separate in FIG. 2, any of the userdatabase 210, tracker database 212, permissions data 214, and locationrequest data 216 may be combined in a single database or manager, ordivided into more databases or managers as may serve a particularembodiment.

The data manager 208 may include the user database 210. The userdatabase 210 may be used to store data related to various users. Forexample, the user database 210 may include data about the user 103 aswell as data about each user 105 in a community of users 105. Thecommunity of users 105 may include any user that has provided userinformation to the tracking system 100 via a mobile device 102, 104 orother electronic device. The user information may be associated with oneor more respective tracking devices 106, or may be stored without anassociation to a particular tracking device. For example, a communityuser 105 may provide user information and permit performance of trackingfunctions on the community mobile device 104 without owning or beingassociated with a tracking device 106. The user database 210 may alsoinclude information about one or more mobile devices or other electronicdevices associated with a particular user.

The data manager 208 may also include a tracker database 212. Thetracker database 212 may be used to store data related to trackingdevices. For example, the tracker database 212 may include tracking datafor any tracking device 106 that has been registered with the trackingsystem 100. Tracking data may include unique tracker identifications(IDs) associated with individual tracking devices 106. Tracker IDs maybe associated with a respective user 103. Tracker IDs may also beassociated with multiple users. Additionally, the tracker database 212may include any flags or other indications associated with whether aspecific tracking device 106 has been indicated as lost and whether anyincoming communications with regard to that tracking device 106 shouldbe processed based on the presence of a flag associated with thetracking device 106.

The data manager 208 may further include permissions data 214 andlocation request data 216. Permissions data 214 may include levels ofpermissions associated with a particular user 103 and/or tracking device106. For example, permissions data 214 may include additional users thathave been indicated as sharing a tracking device 106, or who have beengiven permission to locate or receive a location of a tracking device106. Location request data 216 may include information related to alocation request or a lost indication received from the user 103 via amobile device 102.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user mobile device for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment. As shown, the mobiledevice 102 may include, but is not limited to, a user interface manager302, a location request manager 304, a database manager 306, and atracking manager 308, each of which may be in communication with oneanother using any suitable communication technologies. It will berecognized that although managers 302-308 are shown to be separate inFIG. 3, any of the managers 302-308 may be combined into fewer managers,such as into a single manager, or divided into more managers as mayserve a particular embodiment.

As will be explained in more detail below, the mobile device 102includes the user interface manager 302. The user interface manager 302may facilitate providing the user 103 access to data on a trackingsystem 100 and/or providing data to the tracking system 100. Further,the user interface manager 302 provides a user interface by which theuser 103 may communicate with tracking system 100 and/or tracking device106 via mobile device 102.

The mobile device 102 may also include a location request manager 304.The location request manager 304 may receive and process a request inputto the mobile device 102 to send an indication that a tracking device106 is lost to a tracking system 100. For example, the user 103 mayprovide an indication that a tracking device 106 is lost, unreachable,or otherwise unavailable from the mobile device 102 via the userinterface manager 302, and the location request manager 304 may processthe lost indication and provide any necessary data to the trackingsystem 100 for processing and relaying a location request to other users105 over a network 108. In some configurations, an indication that atracking device 106 is lost is provided via user input. Alternatively,the indication may be transmitted automatically in response to themobile device 102 determining that a tracking device 106 is lost.

In addition, the location request manager 304 can request a location ofthe tracking device 106 without the tracking device 106 being identifiedas lost. For instance, a user can access a tracking device locationfeature of an application running on the mobile device 102 (for example,via the user interface manager 302), and the location request manager304 can request a most recent location of the tracking device 106 fromthe tracking system 100. The location request manager 304 can receivethe most recent location from the tracking system 100, and can displaythe most recent location via the user interface manager 302.

The mobile device 102 may also include a database manager 306. Thedatabase manager 306 may maintain data related to the user 103, trackingdevice 106, permissions, or other data that may be used for locating atracking device 106 and/or providing a request to a tracking system 100for locating one or more tracking devices 106 associated with the user103. Further, the database manager 306 may maintain any information thatmay be accessed using any other manager on the mobile device 102.

The mobile device 102 may further include a tracking manager 308. Thetracking manager 308 may include a tracking application (e.g., asoftware application) for communicating with and locating a trackingdevice 106 associated with the user 103. For example, the trackingmanager 308 may be one configuration of a tracking application installedon the mobile device 102 that provides the functionality for locating atracking device 106 and/or requesting location of a tracking device 106using a tracking system 100 and/or a plurality of community mobiledevices 104. As shown, the tracking manager 308 may include, but is notlimited to, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) manager 310, a persistencemanager 312, a local files manager 314, a motion manager 316, a securestorage manager 318, a settings manager 320, a location manager 322, anetwork manager 324, a notification manager 326, a sound manager 328, afriends manager 330, a photo manager 332, an authentication manager 334,a device manager 336, and a device power manager 338. Thus, the trackingmanager 308 may perform any of the functions associated with managers310-338, described in additional detail below.

The BLE manager 310 may be used to manage communication with one or moretracking devices 106. The persistence manager 312 may be used to storelogical schema information that is relevant to the tracking manager 308.The local files manager 314 may be responsible for managing all filesthat are input or output from the mobile device 102. The motion manager316 may be responsible for all motion management required by thetracking manager 308. The secure storage manager may be responsible forstorage of secure data, including information such as passwords andprivate data that would be accessed through this sub-system. Thesettings manager 320 may be responsible for managing settings used bythe tracking manager 308. Such settings may be user controlled (e.g.,user settings) or defined by the tracking manager 308 for internal use(e.g., application settings) by a mobile device 102 and/or the trackingsystem 100. The location manager 322 may be responsible for all locationtracking done by the tracking manager 308. For example, the locationmanager 322 may manage access to the location services of the mobiledevice 102 and works in conjunction with other managers to persist data.The network manager 324 may be responsible for all Internetcommunications from the tracking manager 308. For example, the networkmanager 324 may mediate all Internet API calls for the tracking manager308. The notification manager 326 may be responsible for managing localand push notifications required by the tracking manager 308. The soundmanager 328 may be responsible for playback of audio cues by thetracking manager 308. The friends manager 330 may be responsible formanaging access to contacts and the user's social graph. The photomanager 332 may be responsible for capturing and managing photos used bythe tracking manager 308. The authentication manager 334 may beresponsible for handling the authentication (e.g., sign in or login) ofusers. The authentication manager 334 may also include registration(e.g., sign up) functionality. The authentication manager 334 furthercoordinates with other managers to achieve registration functionality.The device manager 336 may be responsible for managing the devicesdiscovered by the tracking manager 308. The device manager 336 mayfurther store and/or maintain the logic for algorithms related to devicediscovery and update.

The device power manager 338 can manage the power consumption ofconnected tracking devices 106. For example, the device power manager338 can manage the power consumption of connected tracking devices 106based on a detected signal strength of the connected tracking device, adetected amount of time the mobile device 102 is connected to thetracking device, or any other suitable factor. The device power manager338 can coordinate with other managers within the mobile device 102 toachieve this functionality. In one embodiment, the device power manager338 can send instructions to a connected tracking device 106 instructingthe connected tracking device 106 to temporarily reduce its effectivetransmission power or otherwise reduce its effective range.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example community mobile device for use in atracking system environment, according to one embodiment. As shown, thecommunity mobile device 104 may include, but is not limited to, a userinterface manager 402, a tracking device manager 404, a database manager406, and a tracking manager 408, each of which may be in communicationwith one another using any suitable communication technologies. The userinterface manager 402, database manager 406, and tracking manager 408illustrated in FIG. 4 may include similar features and functionality asthe user interface manager 302, database manager 306, and trackingmanager 308 described above in connection with FIG. 3. It will berecognized that although managers 402-408 are shown to be separate inFIG. 4, any of the managers 402-408 may be combined into fewer managers,such as into a single manager, or divided into more managers as mayserve a particular embodiment.

The community mobile device 104 may include a tracking device manager404. The tracking device manager 404 may facilitate scanning for nearbytracking devices 106. In some configurations, the tracking devicemanager 404 can continuously or periodically scan (e.g., once persecond) for nearby tracking devices 106. The tracking device manager 404may determine whether to provide an updated location of the nearbytracking device 106 to the tracking system 100. In some configurations,the tracking device manager 404 provides a location of a nearby trackingdevice 106 automatically. Alternatively, the tracking device manager 404may determine whether the location of the tracking device 106 has beenrecently updated, and may determine whether to provide an updatedlocation based on the last time a location of the tracking device 106has been updated (e.g., by the community mobile device 104). Forexample, where the community mobile device 104 has provided a recentupdate of the location of a tracking device 106, the tracking devicemanager 404 may decide to wait a predetermined period of time (e.g., 5minutes) before providing an updated location of the same trackingdevice 106.

In one configuration, the tracking device manager 404 may receive andprocess a location request or other information relayed to the communitymobile device 104 by the tracking system 100. For example, the trackingdevice manager 404 may receive an indication of a tracking device 106that has been indicated as lost, and provide a location of the trackingdevice 106 if it comes within proximity of the community mobile device104. In some configurations, the community mobile device 104 isconstantly scanning nearby areas to determine if there is a trackingdevice 106 within a proximity of the community mobile device 104.Therefore, where a tracking device 106 that matches information providedby the tracking system 100 (e.g., from the location request) comeswithin proximity of the community mobile device 104, the tracking devicemanager 404 may generate and transmit a response to the location requestto the tracking system 100, which may be provided to the user 103associated with the tracking device 106. Further, generating andtransmitting the response to the tracking request may be conditioned onthe status of the tracking device 106 being flagged as lost by themobile device 102 and/or the tracking system 100.

The tracking device manager 404 may additionally provide otherinformation to the tracking system 100 in response to receiving thetracking request. For example, in addition to providing a location ofthe community mobile device 104, the tracking device manager may providea signal strength associated with the location to indicate a level ofproximity to the location of the community mobile device 104 provided tothe user 103. For example, if a signal strength is high, the locationprovided to the user 103 is likely to be more accurate than a locationaccompanied by a low signal strength. This may provide additionalinformation that the user 103 may find useful in determining the preciselocation of tracking device 106.

As described above, the tracking device manager 404 may determinewhether to send a location within the proximity of the tracking device106 to the tracking system 100. The determination of whether to send alocation to the tracking system 100 may be based on a variety offactors. For example, a tracking device manager 404 may determine tosend a location of the tracking device 106 to a tracking system 100based on whether the detected tracking device 106 has been indicated aslost or if a tracking request has been provided to the community mobiledevice 104 for the particular tracking device 106. In someconfigurations, the community mobile device 104 may send an update of alocation of a tracking device 106 even if the tracking device 106 is notassociated with a current tracking request or if the tracking device 106is not indicated as lost. For example, where the location of a trackingdevice 106 has not been updated for a predetermined period of time, thecommunity mobile device 104 may provide an update of a tracking devicelocation to the tracking system 100, regardless of whether a trackingrequest has been received.

In some configurations, the community mobile device 104 may includeadditional features. For example, the community mobile device 104 mayallow a tracking system 100 to snap and download a photo using photofunctionality of the community mobile device 104. In someconfigurations, this may be an opt-in feature by which a community user105 permits a tracking system 100 to take a snap-shot and possiblyprovide a visual image of an area within a proximity of the trackingdevice 106.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example tracking device for use in a trackingsystem environment, according to one embodiment. The tracking device 106of FIG. 5 includes an interface 502, a transceiver 504, a controller506, one or more sensors 508, and a GPS unit 510. The transceiver 504 isa hardware circuit capable of both transmitting and receiving signals.It should be noted that in other embodiments, the tracking device 106includes fewer, additional, or different components than thoseillustrated in FIG. 5.

The interface 502 provides a communicative interface between thetracking device 106 and one or more other devices, such as a mobiledevice 102. For instance, the interface 502 can instruct the transceiver504 to output beacon signals as described above (for example,periodically or in response to a triggering event, such as a detectedmovement of the tracking device 106). The interface 502 can, in responseto the receiving of signals by the transceiver 504 from, for instance,the mobile device 102, manage a pairing protocol to establish acommunicative connection between the tracking device 106 and the mobiledevice 102. As noted above, the pairing protocol can be a BLEconnection, though in other embodiments, the interface 502 can manageother suitable wireless connection protocols (such as WiFi, GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications or GSM, and the like).

The controller 506 is a hardware chip that configures the trackingdevice 106 to perform one or more functions or to operate in one oroperating modes or states. For instance, the controller 506 canconfigure the interval at which the transceiver broadcasts beaconsignals, can authorize or prevent particular devices from pairing withthe tracking device 106 based on information received from the devicesand permissions stored at the tracking device, can increase or decreasethe transmission strength of signals broadcasted by the transceiver, canconfigure the interface to emit a ringtone or flash an LED light, canenable or disable various tracking device sensors, can enable or disablea tracking device GPS unit, can enable or disable communicativefunctionality of the tracking device 106 (such as a GSM transmitter andreceiving), can configure the tracking device into a sleep mode or awakemode, can configure the tracking device into a power saving mode, andthe like. The controller 506 can configure the tracking device toperform functions or to operate in a particular operating mode based oninformation or signals received from a device paired with or attemptingto pair with the tracking device 106, based on an operating state orconnection state of the tracking device 106, based on user-selectedsettings, based on information stored at the tracking device 106, basedon a detected location of the tracking device 106, based on historicalbehavior of the tracking device 106 (such as a previous length of timethe tracking device was configured to operate in a particular mode),based on information received from the sensors 508 or the GPS 510, orbased on any other suitable criteria.

The controller 506 can manage the power consumption of the trackingdevice 106 based on conditions detected by the controller orinstructions received from a mobile device 102 or community mobiledevice 104. The power consumption of the tracking device 106 can bemanaged by increasing, reducing, or disabling the transmission power ofthe communicative functionality of the tracking device 106 (therebyincreasing, reducing, or disabling the transmission range of thetracking device). For example, the controller 506 can modify thetransmission power of communication hardware such as a Bluetooth or GSMradio of the tracking device 106, a GPS or Wi-Fi antenna of the trackingdevice, or any other suitable functionality of the tracking device.

The sensors 508 can include motion sensors (such as gyroscopes oraccelerators), altimeters, orientation sensors, proximity sensors, lightsensors, or any other suitable sensor configured to detect anenvironment of the tracking device 106, a state of the tracking device106, a movement or location of the tracking device 106, and the like.The sensors 508 are configured to provide information detected by thesensors to the controller 506. The GPS unit 510 is configured to detecta location of the tracking device 106 based on received GPS signals, andis configured to provide detected locations to the controller 506. Insome embodiments, the sensors 508 can operate using reduced power, forexample, operating with a reduced sampling frequency or transmissionpower, for example based on instructions from the controller 506.

Power Preservation

In some embodiments, the power consumption of a tracking device 106 canbe managed by the tracking device 106, for example based on theinstructions of a mobile device 102 or community mobile device 104connected to the tracking device. For example, the power consumption ofa tracking device 106 can be managed based on the detection of an edgeof range state between the tracking device and one or more mobiledevices 102 or community mobile devices 104. As used herein, an “edge ofrange state” refers to a mobile device 102 (or a community mobile device104) and a tracking device 106 when the mobile device is at or close tothe edge or periphery of the effective range of the tracking device. Thedetection of an edge of range state can indicate an inability of thetracking device 106 to maintain a stable connection with the mobiledevice 102 or the community mobile device 104. In some embodiments, anedge of range state is detected by the mobile device 102 or communitymobile device 104, but an edge of range state can also be detected bythe tracking device 106. Similarly, once detected, an edge of rangestate can be determined to have ended based on conditions detected byeither the tracking device 106 or the mobile device 102 or communitymobile device 104.

When an edge of range state exists between a tracking device 106 and amobile device, fluctuations in the effective range of the trackingdevice 106 or fluctuations in the distance between the tracking deviceand the connected mobile device can result in the tracking devicerepeatedly connecting and reconnecting with the mobile device. In someembodiments, the tracking device 106 can consume additional power whenconnecting to a mobile device 102 or a community mobile device 104relative to maintaining a steady connection to the same mobile device orcommunity mobile device. As the repeated connection and reconnectionwith a mobile device 102 or community mobile device 104 can result inadditional power consumption, the tracking device can implement powerpreservation methods to reduce unnecessary power consumption while anedge of range state is detected (for instance, in response to aninstruction from the mobile device).

In some embodiments, an edge of range state can be detected based on asignal strength of the tracking device 106 detected by a mobile device102 or community mobile device 104. For example, an edge of range statecan be detected when the signal strength of a tracking device 106detected by a mobile device 102 or community mobile device 104 fallsbelow a given threshold. An edge of range state can also be detectedbased on a high rate of connections between the tracking device 106 andthe mobile device 102 or community mobile device 104. For example, amobile device can determine that a tracking device 106 is in an edge ofrange state when the number of unique or different connections (and/ordisconnections) to a tracking device 106 by the mobile device exceeds athreshold number of connections in a given period of time. For instance,if four or more connections between the same tracking device 106 and thecommunity mobile device 104 are detected within 90 seconds, the trackingdevice can be considered to be in an edge of range state.

When in an edge of range state, the tracking device 106 can temporarilyoperate with a reduced effective transmission range, for example byreducing the transmission power of the tracking device's transmitter.Intentionally reducing the effective range of the tracking device 106can cause the mobile device 102 or community mobile device 104previously located at the periphery of the transmission range of thetracking device to be outside the now-reduced effective range of thetracking device. Therefore, reducing the transmission power of thetracking device 106 while in an edge of range state can eliminaterepeated connection and reconnection with the same mobile device 102 orcommunity mobile device 104 and reduce the power consumption of thetracking device by preventing the tracking device from being able toconnect to the mobile device or community mobile device. In someembodiments, the transmission power of the tracking device 106 isreduced gradually until the connection between the tracking device andthe mobile device is severed, but the transmission power of the trackingdevice can also be reduced by a fixed amount when an edge of range stateis detected. In some embodiments, transmission power will not be reducedwhile the tracking device 106 detects it is in motion, for example by anaccelerometer, GPS, or other sensor of the tracking device, despite thedetection of an edge of range state.

The transmission power of a tracking device 106 can be restored inresponse to a determination that the tracking device is no longer in anedge of range state, or in response to one or more factors beingsatisfied. One such factor is the passage of a threshold amount of time.Similarly, the tracking device 106 can be determined to no longer be inan edge of range state when a mobile device 102 or community mobiledevice 104 connects to the tracking device 106 while the tracking device106 is operating with a reduced transmission range. In this case, amobile device 102 or community mobile device 104 detecting andconnecting to a tracking device 106 operating with a reducedtransmission range can indicate that a reliable connection between themobile device and the tracking device can be maintained at the fulltransmission range of the tracking device.

FIG. 6 illustrates an environment for connecting to a tracking device,according to one embodiment. The environment 600 includes a centraltracking device 106, community mobile devices 104 e-104 i capable ofconnecting to the tracking device 106, and transmission ranges 622, 623,624, and 626 representing various distances from the tracking device106.

The tracking device 106, as described earlier, can communicativelyconnect with community mobile devices 104 through one or more wirelesscommunications protocols, for example, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE), or Wi-Fi. In some embodiments, the effective transmission orcommunication range of a tracking device 106 is affected by multiplefactors including the transmission strength of the tracking device,obstructions between the transmitter and receiver, interference fromother wireless or RF emitting systems, and other environmental factors.Additionally, as described earlier, the effective transmission strengthof the tracking device 106 can be increased or decreased by the trackingdevice 106 to change the effective transmission range of the trackingdevice 106.

Transmission ranges 622, 623, 624, and 626 represent example ranges fromthe tracking device 106. Similarly, community mobile devices 104 e, 104f, 104 g, 104 h, and 104 i represent example community mobile devicescapable of connecting with the tracking device 106. Each of thecommunity mobile device 1043 e-i is located at a different distance fromthe tracking device 106, and may be inside one or more of thetransmission ranges 622, 623, 624, or 626 (e.g., the community mobiledevice is nearer to the tracking device than is the range). For example,ranges 624 and 626 represent example intermediate and close transmissionranges to the tracking device 106. In some embodiments, a communitymobile device 104 located inside the transmission range 626 canestablish and maintain a consistent connection with the tracking device106, and a community mobile device located inside the transmission range624 but outside of the transmission range 626 is still very likely to beable to establish and maintain a consistent connection with the trackingdevice, though less likely than if the community mobile device waslocated within the transmission range 626. In the embodiment of FIG. 6,the community mobile devices 104 g and 104 h are both within either therange 624 or the range 626 and therefore are likely to be able tomaintain a consistent connection with the tracking device 106.

The transmission range 622 can represent an expected maximum range atwhich a community mobile device 104 can connect to the tracking device106, for example under average environmental conditions while thetracking device operates using normal transmission power. For example,the community mobile device 104 e is outside of the maximum transmissionrange 622, and therefore cannot detect or attempt to communicate withthe tracking device 106 regardless of environmental conditions.

Similarly, the transmission range 623 is an example environmentallyreduced range for the tracking device 106 and represents a situationwhere environmental factors, for example interference, reduce thetransmission range of the tracking device 106 to less than the expectedmaximum range 622. In some embodiments, the effects of environmentalfactors can fluctuate, causing the effective range of the trackingdevice 106 to fluctuate correspondingly, for example the effectivemaximum range of the tracking device can fluctuate between the expectedmaximum range 622 and the environmentally reduced range 623. Fluctuationof effective range due to environmental factors can lead to a communitymobile device 104 being placed in an edge of range state.

For example, the community mobile device 104 f is located between theranges 622 and 623 and can be alternately inside and outside theeffective range of the tracking device 106 and correspondingly establishand lose connection with the tracking device. As described above,frequent connection and reconnection between a community mobile device104 and a tracking device 106 can indicate that the tracking device 106is in an edge of range state. Therefore, to mitigate the increased powerconsumption possible when an edge of range state exists between thetracking device 106 and the community mobile device 104 f, the trackingdevice 106 can operate at a reduced transmission power (for instance, inresponse to the detection of the edge of range state by the communitymobile device 104 f and a subsequent instruction by the community mobiledevice to the tracking device to reduce the transmission power of thetracking device). For example, the tracking device 106 can operate usingreduced transmission power so that the transmission range 624 is now theeffective range of the tracking device. In this example, after thetransmission power of the tracking device 106 is reduced, the communitymobile device 104 f is outside the effective transmission range 624 andtherefore cannot connect to the tracking device 106, thereby savingtracking device power consumption otherwise allocated to there-establishing of connections between the tracking device and thecommunity mobile device.

In some embodiments, an edge of range state is detected based onrelative motion between the tracking device 106 and a community mobiledevice 104, even in the absence of environmental factors. For example,the community mobile device 104 i is alternately inside and outside therange 622. Similar to the situation described above, the repetitivemotion of the community mobile device 104 i causes the tracking device106 to repeatedly connect and reconnect with the community mobile devicecausing an edge of range state to be detected, according to oneembodiment. Similar to the example above, a temporary reduction in thetransmission power of the tracking device 106 can reduce the likelihoodof continuous connection and reconnection with the community mobiledevice 104 i.

According to some implementations, power preservation methods can alsobe employed when a steady connection is maintained between a trackingdevice 106 and a community mobile device 104. For example, the communitymobile device 104 h is within the transmission range 626 and canmaintain a steady connection with the tracking device 106. If thecommunity mobile device 104 detects a signal strength from the trackingdevice associated with the transmission range 622 that is greater than athreshold signal strength, for example a signal strength indicating thatthe community mobile device 104 h is within the transmission range 626,the tracking device 106 can be instructed to reduce transmission power.The transmission power of the tracking device 106 can be reduced so thatthe range 624 is the effective range of the tracking device. Because thecommunity mobile device 104 h is still well within the effective rangeof the tracking device 106 even when its effective range is reduced tothe transmission range 624, connectivity between the tracking device andthe community mobile device will not be impacted, and power is preservedby the tracking device by reducing the transmission power from thetransmission range 622 to the transmission range 624.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process for managing a trackingdevice in an edge of range state, according to one embodiment. Theprocess 700 begins when an edge of range state with a tracking device isdetected 710. For example if the process 700 is executing on a mobiledevice 102 or community mobile device 104, the mobile device orcommunity mobile device can detect an edge of range state between thetracking device and the mobile device. The tracking device can then beinstructed 720 to temporarily reduce its maximum connection range, forexample, by reducing transmission power. The tracking device caninstruct itself to reduce transmission power (in response to thetracking device determining that a mobile device is in an edge of rangestate), or a mobile device can instruct the tracking device to reducetransmission power (in response to an instruction from a mobile devicethat detected an edge of range state of the mobile device). After thetransmission power is reduced, if the tracking device is again detected730, for example by the mobile device 102 or community mobile device104, or by the tracking device itself, it can be inferred that thetracking device is no long in the edge of range state and that thereforethe transmission range of the tracking device can be restored 750 (forinstance, in response to an instruction from a mobile device or from thetracking device). Alternately, if no tracking device is detected 730,the transmission range of the tracking device can be restored 750 aftera threshold amount of time has passed 745. In either situation, if theedge of range state is still detected, after the transmission range ofthe tracking device is restored, the process 700 can be repeated.Otherwise, the process 700 ends.

Additional Considerations

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purpose of illustration; it is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.Persons skilled in the relevant art can appreciate that manymodifications and variations are possible in light of the abovedisclosure.

Any of the devices or systems described herein can be implemented by oneor more computing devices. A computing device can include a processor, amemory, a storage device, an I/O interface, and a communicationinterface, which may be communicatively coupled by way of communicationinfrastructure. Additional or alternative components may be used inother embodiments. In particular embodiments, a processor includeshardware for executing computer program instructions by retrieving theinstructions from an internal register, an internal cache, or othermemory or storage device, and decoding and executing them. The memorycan be used for storing data or instructions for execution by theprocessor. The memory can be any suitable storage mechanism, such asRAM, ROM, flash memory, solid state memory, and the like. The storagedevice can store data or computer instructions, and can include a harddisk drive, flash memory, an optical disc, or any other suitable storagedevice. The I/O interface allows a user to interact with the computingdevice, and can include a mouse, keypad, keyboard, touch screeninterface, and the like. The communication interface can includehardware, software, or a combination of both, and can provide one ormore interfaces for communication with other devices or entities.

Some portions of this description describe the embodiments of theinvention in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations ofoperations on information. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are commonly used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to convey the substance of their work effectively toothers skilled in the art. These operations, while describedfunctionally, computationally, or logically, are understood to beimplemented by computer programs or equivalent electrical circuits,microcode, or the like. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient attimes, to refer to these arrangements of operations as modules, withoutloss of generality. The described operations and their associatedmodules may be embodied in software, firmware, hardware, or anycombinations thereof.

Any of the steps, operations, or processes described herein may beperformed or implemented with one or more hardware or software modules,alone or in combination with other devices. In one embodiment, asoftware module is implemented with a computer program productcomprising a computer-readable medium containing computer program code,which can be executed by a computer processor for performing any or allof the steps, operations, or processes described.

Embodiments of the invention may also relate to an apparatus forperforming the operations herein. This apparatus may be speciallyconstructed for the required purposes, and/or it may comprise ageneral-purpose computing device selectively activated or reconfiguredby a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer programmay be stored in a non-transitory, tangible computer readable storagemedium, or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, which may be coupled to a computer system bus.Furthermore, any computing systems referred to in the specification mayinclude a single processor or may be architectures employing multipleprocessor designs for increased computing capability.

Embodiments of the invention may also relate to a product that isproduced by a computing process described herein. Such a product maycomprise information resulting from a computing process, where theinformation is stored on a non-transitory, tangible computer readablestorage medium and may include any embodiment of a computer programproduct or other data combination described herein.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principallyselected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not havebeen selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter.It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited notby this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on anapplication based hereon. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodimentsof the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, ofthe scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for conserving power for a trackingdevice, the method comprising: establishing, by the tracking device, acommunicative connection with a mobile device, the tracking devicehaving a first transmission range; receiving, by the tracking devicefrom the mobile device, an instruction to reduce the transmission rangeof the tracking device to a second transmission range smaller than thefirst transmission range, the instruction sent in response to adetection of a threshold number of disconnections between the trackingdevice and the mobile device; reducing, by the tracking device, thetransmission range of the tracking device to the second transmissionrange such that the communication connection between the tracking deviceand the mobile device is severed; and in response to re-establishing aconnection with the mobile device while the transmission range of thetracking device is the second transmission range, increasing, by thetracking device, the transmission range of the tracking device to thefirst transmission range.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein reducing thetransmission range of the tracking device comprises reducing aneffective transmission power of a transmitter of the tracking devicefrom a first transmission power to a second transmission power lowerthan the first transmission power.
 3. The method of claim 2, whereinincreasing the transmission range of the tracking device to the firsttransmission range comprises increasing the effective transmission powerof the transmitter of the tracking device from the second transmissionpower to the first transmission power.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinreducing the transmission range of the tracking device comprisesiteratively reducing an effective transmission power of a transmitter ofthe tracking device until the communication connection between thetracking device and the mobile device is severed.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein the mobile device is additionally configured to send theinstruction to reduce the transmission range in response to a signalstrength of the tracking device detected by the mobile device beinglower than a threshold signal strength.
 6. The method of claim 1,further comprising: in response to a passage of a pre-determinedinterval of time without re-establishing a connection with the mobiledevice, increasing, by the tracking device, the transmission range ofthe tracking device to the first transmission range.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the tracking device from themobile device, a second instruction to reduce the transmission range ofthe tracking device to the second transmission range, the secondinstruction sent in response to a determination by the mobile devicethat the signal strength of the tracking device detected by the mobiledevice is greater than a threshold signal strength.
 8. A non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium containing instructions that whenexecuted by a processor of a tracking device cause the tracking deviceto perform the steps of: establishing, by the tracking device, acommunicative connection with a mobile device, the tracking devicehaving a first transmission range; receiving, by the tracking devicefrom the mobile device, an instruction to reduce the transmission rangeof the tracking device to a second transmission range smaller than thefirst transmission range, the instruction sent in response to adetection of a threshold number of disconnections between the trackingdevice and the mobile device; reducing, by the tracking device, thetransmission range of the tracking device to the second transmissionrange such that the communication connection between the tracking deviceand the mobile device is severed; and in response to re-establishing aconnection with the mobile device while the transmission range of thetracking device is the second transmission range, increasing, by thetracking device, the transmission range of the tracking device to thefirst transmission range.
 9. The computer readable medium of claim 8,wherein reducing the transmission range of the tracking device comprisesreducing an effective transmission power of a transmitter of thetracking device from a first transmission power to a second transmissionpower lower than the first transmission power.
 10. The computer readablemedium of claim 9, wherein increasing the transmission range of thetracking device to the first transmission range comprises increasing theeffective transmission power of the transmitter of the tracking devicefrom the second transmission power to the first transmission power. 11.The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein reducing thetransmission range of the tracking device comprises iteratively reducingan effective transmission power of a transmitter of the tracking deviceuntil the communication connection between the tracking device and themobile device is severed.
 12. The computer readable medium of claim 8,wherein the mobile device is additionally configured to send theinstruction to reduce the transmission range in response to a signalstrength of the tracking device detected at the mobile device beinglower than a threshold signal strength.
 13. The computer readable mediumof claim 8, further comprising instructions for: in response to apassage of a pre-determined interval of time without re-establishing aconnection with the mobile device, increasing, by the tracking device,the transmission range of the tracking device to the first transmissionrange.
 14. The computer readable medium of claim 8, further comprisinginstructions for: receiving, by the tracking device from the mobiledevice, a second instruction to reduce the transmission range of thetracking device to the second transmission range, the second instructionsent in response to a determination by the mobile device that the signalstrength of the tracking device detected by the mobile device is greaterthan a threshold signal strength.
 15. A tracking device comprising: atracking device interface, the tracking device interface configured to:establish a communicative connection with a mobile device, the trackingdevice having a first transmission range; and receive, from the mobiledevice, an instruction to reduce the transmission range of the trackingdevice to a second transmission range smaller than the firsttransmission range, the instruction sent in response to a detection of athreshold number of disconnections between the tracking device and themobile device; and a tracking device controller, the tracking devicecontroller configured to: reduce the transmission range of the trackingdevice to the second transmission range such that the communicationconnection between the tracking device and the mobile device is severed;and in response to re-establishing a connection with the mobile devicewhile the transmission range of the tracking device is the secondtransmission range, increase the transmission range of the trackingdevice to the first transmission range.
 16. The tracking device of claim15, further comprising a transceiver and wherein reducing thetransmission range of the tracking device comprises reducing aneffective transmission power of the transceiver from a firsttransmission power to a second transmission power lower than the firsttransmission power.
 17. The tracking device of claim 16, whereinincreasing the transmission range of the tracking device to the firsttransmission range comprises increasing the effective transmission powerof the transceiver from the second transmission power to the firsttransmission power.
 18. The tracking device of claim 15, whereinreducing the transmission range of the tracking device comprisesiteratively reducing an effective transmission power of the transceiveruntil the communication connection between the tracking device and themobile device is severed.
 19. The tracking device of claim 15, whereinthe mobile device is additionally configured to send the instruction toreduce the transmission range in response to a signal strength of thetracking device detected at the mobile device being lower than athreshold signal strength.
 20. The tracking device of claim 15, whereinthe tracking device controller is further configured to: in response toa passage of a pre-determined interval of time without re-establishing aconnection with the mobile device, increasing, by the tracking device,the transmission range of the tracking device to the first transmissionrange.